Job overview
Are you a dynamic, high-impact senior leader ready to shape the future of acute hospital services in Dorset? We’re looking for an influential, energetic and visionary Deputy Chief Operating Officer to join our Chief Operating Officer’s leadership team. This is a pivotal role at the heart of our organisation—implementing our Board strategy while steering the day-to-day delivery of outstanding acute care across our three sites. You’ll lead major transformation programmes, strengthen system-wide collaboration across Dorset, and accelerate the delivery of our strategic ambitions. From redefining our urgent and emergency care pathways to improving patient flow and building operational resilience, your leadership will help reset and elevate the way we care for our communities. Location: University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation TrustSalary: Agenda for Change Band 9Closing Date: 8 December Shortlisting Date: 9th and 10th December Interview Date: 19 December Main duties of the job Act as a key deputy to the Chief Operating Officer, providing confident, visible and values-driven leadership Inspire a culture of empowerment, high performance and clinical excellence—driving forward our Patient First improvement approach Lead operational delivery and high-profile transformation programmes across all sites Drive performance improvement and ensure quality, safety and regulatory standards are met and exceeded Shape and deliver our emergency care strategy, including flow, SDEC, admission avoidance and discharge optimisation Support financial and contractual performance, including activity planning and efficiency programmes Build strong, strategic partnerships within the wider Dorset health and care system Champion a truly patient-centred culture, ensuring every team lives our Trust values Working for our organisation At UHD, our values define everything we do as #TeamUHD—how we treat our patients, our visitors and one another. We’re investing in our facilities like never before. Following our merger and through the continued delivery of our New Hospital Programme, we are transforming the way we work, the environments we work in, and the care we provide. This is your chance to shape the next chapter. If you’re motivated by challenge, driven by excellence, and ready to make a meaningful, organisation-wide impact, this is a rare and exciting opportunity to lead at scale. If you share our ambition to shape the future of hospital services in Dorset, we would be delighted to hear from you. Detailed job description and main responsibilities Please refer to Job Description and Person Specification for more details. For this role you will be a proven acute NHS operational leader with: Significant senior leadership experience within an acute provider A strong track record of delivering large-scale, measurable service transformation Operational and performance improvement expertise—ideally including urgent and emergency care A collaborative, engaging leadership style with the ability to influence at every level and across organisational boundaries A steadfast commitment to patient-centred care, quality improvement and system-wide partnership working This is a demanding, high-profile and hugely rewarding role—perfect for someone who thrives in complexity, leads with clarity, and delivers with impact. Person specification Senior NHS operational leadership Essential criteria First degree or appropriate level of senior managerial experience Significant experience in redesigning urgent and emergency care pathways, patient flow optimisation or SDEC development Delivery of large-scale service change Essential criteria Successful oversight of large budgets and complex financial recovery or efficiency programmes Ability to anticipate and respond to system-level challenges, balancing strategic and operational priorities Desirable Criteria Desirable criteria Participation in national leadership development programmes (e.g., Nye Bevan, Elizabeth Garrett Anderson) Experience leading operational delivery across multiple hospital sites or complex multi-location services Desire to contribute to long-term strategic development—not just operational delivery Fundamentally demonstrates examples of how to deliver services in different ways